Harry Potter and the power they both new not
by crazyjim87
Summary: I reuploaded the story to complain alongside the other authors on the site.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know I posted the original chapter some days ago, but with the help of a friend who has become my co-writer we have improved and expanded it, and I am reposting what is hopefully a better version. And I would like to tell everyone that I own nothing of Harry Potter except from any characters that I create.

**Chapter 1**

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH", Harry yelled, jumping from his bed and landing on the floor with a thud. "SHUT UP FREAK, AND LET US SLEEP!" Vernon Dursley yelled from his bedroom almost immediately. "SOME OF US NEED TO GO TO WORK IN THE MORNING!" Trembling and dripping cold sweat, Harry picked himself up.

_This has got to stop before uncle Vernon kills me_, he thought as he sat on the chair by his desk, facing the window and the night outside. A week had passed since the battle at the Department of Mysteries, and Harry had been awakened by the same nightmare he'd been seeing every night since then.

He glanced at the watch he wore around his left wrist—it was 02.30 am. "Now what?" said Harry to the moon as he was staring out of the window, wide awake. It looked like another night when he'd only manage to sleep around sunrise, only to be disturbed by aunt Petunia's shrills a few hours later.

He was lost in thought when he heard a hoot from his owl, Hedwig. "Ah, you're back from hunting?" He turned around and indeed, she had deposited a dead mouse on the floor of her cage. "Well done, girl" he said and petted her on the head. She hooted proudly and came closer to him, for more praise and petting. "You know, Hedwig, apart from my friends at Hogwarts you are the only one who can see and understand what I'm going through when I am imprisoned at the Dursleys."

"Hoot" she said mournfully.

"I don't know what I am supposed to do, girl. I can't beat Voldemort just with Expelliarmus, not this time… Not now that I have to…" He couldn't bear to say it. "I just don't know what to do. I wish someone was here to help me because I'm lost, and things just keep getting worse", said Harry.

At that very moment, a brilliant white flash lit every corner of the room, so bright that he had to cover his eyes. When the light was gone, Harry looked up again and with a gasp realised that the silhouette of a man had appeared in front of him. He was slender and of medium height, apparently robed and wearing a pointed wizard's hat. He stood there for a few moments in silence, as if he was examining Harry. As Harry's eyes adjusted again to the semi-darkness, he could make out more details: a stately, wrinkled and vaguely familiar face with bright brown eyes under thick eyebrows; a long snow-white beard reminiscent of Dumbledore's (but shorter), so white that it seemed to glow in the shadows; a robe and hat in utter contrast, the blackest of blacks; and a long ragged staff with an elaborate golden head. This curious and magnificent spectacle left Harry out of words, and although he had stretched his hand towards his wand, which was lying on the desk, he did not pick it up. The old man seemed to inspire a strange feeling of safety in the boy, a complete absence of threat. Finally, Harry broke the silence: "Who are you?"

"You have doubtlessly heard of me, although you haven't had the pleasure of meeting me until now", the stranger replied with a clear voice. "I am Merlin, and I have come to you because you have asked for help. Yes, _the_ Merlin", he added, seeing Harry's incredulous look. "Here's my card if you don't believe me." He handed him a chocolate-frog card with his likeness. Harry examined the card, where a tiny Merlin was sporting a winning smile, and matched it with his real-life counterpart, who had assumed an identical expression.

Harry left the card on the desk, somewhat reassured but still very puzzled. "Aren't you supposed to be—"

"Dead? Oh, I am as dead as the Bloody Baron, but it doesn't mean I can't be useful any more. I heard your call for assistance and came here to offer it. I have a proposition to make to you." He paused a moment for effect; Harry fixed his gaze on him even more keenly. "I offer you a ten-year training course, free of charge. Think of it as a very long post-graduate course, where you get to learn all sorts of advanced magic in new, exciting places, and meet many people you couldn't ever imagine seeing. And all under my personal supervision."

Harry was open-mouthed. "It sounds fabulous…" he whispered. "But ten years…"

"Ah, yes, I haven't got to the best part. If you accept, you shall leave this place for an entire decade, but upon your return only ten days will have passed. Beware, for it is more complex than it sounds, and you will be a changed man when you return. But you can see that I've tried to keep the disruption upon your otherwise normal life"—he cast a disapproving look at the wall from which uncle Vernon's loud snoring was coming—"to a minimum."

Harry sighed and started contemplating his situation. He'd been an orphan since he was one year old, he'd had to live most of his life with a family that loathed him and everything remotely connected to the magical world, and now he had caused the loss of his beloved godfather, Sirius Black, one of the few people who really cared for him, and along with him a rare promise for a happy life outside Hogwarts. And on top of everything else, there was a prophecy saying that Harry, a fifth-year student, was the only one who could defeat Voldemort, the wizard who had mastered the Dark Arts more than any other. Clearly, his position was desperate.

"I accept", he said in the end.

"Are you sure?" Merlin asked kindly. "This is ten years we are talking about. Anything could happen."

Harry sat still for a moment. "I have asked for help because I really felt I was in a dead end… Here I am, with Merlin himself in my room, giving me a unique opportunity, and a way out. Whatever happens, it can't be worse than what I can expect if I stay here. It would be stupid of me to refuse."

"You've spoken well", Merlin said, smiling. "If this is your decision, give me your hand."

Harry stood up and walked around his desk. Hedwig, who had been silent since Merlin's sudden appearance, was now restless. Harry raised his hand with apprehension and excitement in equal measures, expecting something momentous to happen, like when he had held his wand for the first time. The adventure was starting… Merlin took a step forwards and shook Harry's hand.

Nothing happened.

"There", Merlin said. "It's a deal, as they say."

Harry frowned slightly. "Is that it?" He was still waiting for a magical contract to appear.

"No need for any fancy hocus pocus here", Merlin said lightly. "I know you will keep your word. Besides, without your guide", he added, pointing to himself, "you'll probably get lost. Imagine the tragedy if you should return here a millennium too early." Harry nodded; the vivid image of himself in the middle of the Battle of Hastings, armed with nothing but a wooden stick, was enough to convince him that he'd better follow his instructions closely from that point.

"Now, when we arrive at our destination we shall have to perform a cleansing ritual", Merlin said, now pacing around the room, "so that every bit of the evil and darkness that you have suffered all these years will be removed from your body. This way it can live up to its full magical potential, purified of all nasty influences—Muggle and otherwise. And there is one more thing that I need to tell you. You will not take this training alone. Your soul mate will also come, to be trained alongside you. And before you ask, a soul mate is the one that we were meant to be with. Even I don't know the identity of yours, which shows just how important this is. Life's little surprises, eh? We shall find out when she or they arrive."

"They?" Harry asked in disbelief, but the old wizard ignored him. He snapped his fingers. Instantly, everything that belonged to Harry flew from every corner of the room and packed itself neatly in his trunk, which then shut and locked itself and started shrinking. A moment later, Merlin picked up the matchbox-sized trunk and placed it in an inner pocket of his robe. "Come, Harry, let us be off", he said, putting an arm on Harry's shoulder. "Your training must start immediately." He raised his staff, and rammed it onto the floor, and for the second time that night an explosion of white light blinded Harry. Before he even knew what was happening, both had vanished from 4 Privet Drive, not to be seen again by the Dursleys and their neighbours for ten days of their lives. But for Harry, it would be much, much more than that.

A/N: Well, this is the re-post of the first chapter, and a better one, I hope. The next chapter will be up soon.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: As I said in the first chapter, I own nothing of Harry Potter. After talking with a few of my friends who read and love Harry Potter, I have decided what the pairing will be. I won't yet reveal what that pairing is, but you shall find out soon. This story is set after _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_.

**Chapter 2**

The trip was the complete opposite of travelling via Floo powder. Harry felt his body dissolve into something without shape or weight, and for a few moments, as if in a dream, his disembodied soul was hovering in the middle of a great cosmic river, the rapid current of space and time rushing around him towards some invisible point. Seconds later, the skinny boy with the glasses and unruly black hair was standing on firm ground again, and a cold breeze was stroking his face. He opened his eyes, and a breathtaking sight greeted him.

He was standing on the edge of a cliff, and far below his feet opened a great valley, its wooded slopes stretching out of sight on both sides. Other ranges lay parallel beyond them, rustling waves of a dark-grey sea. Long lakes glittered silver, reflecting the same moon he had been seeing from his window—a moon that here looked distant and mysterious, and drifted in and out of sight behind wispy clouds. Then he noticed the fluttering of robes to his left; Merlin was there, his gaze fixed forwards.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"Take a guess", Merlin said without turning to face him.

Harry looked at his surroundings again. "Scotland?" he suggested after a moment.

"Very good, Harry", Merlin nodded and swept the valley with his hand. "Welcome to the Highlands, the land of the kilt-wearers." He paused. "You won't see any of them here, of course, because I've chosen the site very carefully, but I like to add a bit of local flavour to every stage of the tour. I suppose you already know what a kilt is, Harry?"

"I've heard a few things about them, sir", Harry replied.

"Merlin, please", said the old wizard.

"Sorry?" Harry was still looking around for signs of human presence. Apparently, Merlin was right: the area looked completely uninhabited.

"I said you can call me 'Merlin' ", he repeated. "This will not be your typical lesson, so I think we can leave aside the forms of address associated with formal education. Or living people, at that."

"Or people with last names", Harry murmured.

"Exactly", Merlin said.

"Ok, then", Harry said. _Let's hope this isn't the only thing that changes_, he added mentally. Did he dare to ask Merlin whether there would be homework? He decided that he didn't—not yet, at least.

"That is not to say that I have brought you here for holidays, Harry", Merlin continued, smiling. "I have prepared an extensive, multi-disciplinal syllabus that we shall follow in the course of this decade, and you must work hard to keep up with it. Even if you fail, you should be a very skilled wizard. But if you succeed…" He made a dramatic pause. "…you can become something much greater than that: not just the most powerful wizard of your generation, but a proper gentleman and a true polymath. Do not underestimate your potentials, Harry. You have the means to combine the worlds of the wizards and the Muggles in a way few people have managed to do since the Separation of 1692."

Harry couldn't believe in his ears. "Combine the worlds of the wizards and the Muggles?" he repeated. "How? Why? What do the Muggles have to do with any of this? How can they possibly help me defeat Voldemort?" Dozens of questions yearned to get out of his mouth, but he stopped abruptly upon seeing Merlin's raised hand.

"This isn't just about Lord Voldemort, Harry", he said. "You can dedicate all your energy and skills to destroying him, but then what? Life will not end with him. After his downfall, which, for the sake of argument, we shall take for granted, you will be in a position to help shape the new order of things. You know what I am talking about… The Ministry of Magic is corrupt and disorganised, and even now we cannot hope to find much assistance there—just imagine how things will be with Voldemort's moles in full action. We'll have time to talk about this, but I might as well mention something now: one of the most important things you will learn is how to operate independently, and choose the partners to help you in your mission. Use informants in the Ministry, yes, but have no official ties with it."

"And Muggles?" Harry asked. "I still don't understand what you said before. Are you against the Statute of Secrecy?"

"Not at all", Merlin said. "I believe in the Separation. The Muggles are not ready for us, and I am not sure they will ever be. You can even see examples of this in their art. There is a film called _X-Men_, for example… It's like an allegory for Muggle–wizard relationships. And the special effects… You know, Harry, Muggle cinema can sometimes make you think those people can actually perform magic."

"I've never been to the cinema", Harry said. "One of the perks of living with the Dursleys…"

"You are still young, Harry", Merlin reassured him. "You'll have the opportunity to do many of the things you've missed on… As a matter of fact, I might take you to see a film myself at some point. I think you'll find IMAX particularly impressive."

"What is IMAX?" Harry asked. Not only was he ignorant of so many details of a wizard's life, but he was apparently falling behind in his knowledge of Muggle life, too.

"Some other time", Merlin said, waving his hand. "But I am glad you haven't written off the Muggle world completely. Most wizards would say that you have suffered too great an exposure to Muggles and their contraptions, and that you ought to have grown up as a wizard. I disagree. I think Dumbledore made the right decision—even if it resulted in many hardships for you—and you can make a great advantage out of it."

Harry frowned.

"Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking. But you have seen for yourself that it wasn't that hard to catch up. It took you some time, yes, and may have resulted in the occasional mix-up, but otherwise, you were fine. Am I right?"

Harry thought about it a little. In the end, he had to admit that, other than some embarrassment, living with the Dursleys hadn't impeded his adjustment to Hogwarts all that much. He nodded.

"On the other hand", Merlin continued, "the modern urban civilisation Muggles have developed to compensate for their lack of magical abilities is too complex for most wizards and witches to comprehend, let alone master, unless they are already familiar with it. In this sense, you share with Muggle-borns a great advantage over the so-called 'pure-blooded' wizards. I am not saying, of course, that you should live like a Muggle or anything like that. Magic gives us the privilege of leading lives simpler, in closer contact with nature, and considerably calmer."

"Calmer?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"At least at those precious occasions when there is no Dark Lord trying to take over Britain", Merlin added with a chuckle. "The plain fact is that, no matter how better the wizarding lifestyle may seem compared to the stressful lives of most Muggles in Britain, knowing how to interact with them is a useful set of skills for any wizard with an agenda like yours."

Harry was in deep thought, listening carefully but still with some disbelief.

"It might not be very obvious now", Merlin said, "but you will realise later on how important it is to be able to circulate casually in the Muggle world. And I'll make sure that a part of your training will be to complete your education on Muggle affairs and customs, and make you so good at passing as a Muggle, that you can even fool people like your obnoxious uncle."

Harry smiled. He imagined himself emerging from a Rolls Royce in front of 4 Privet Drive, in a suit and holding a leather briefcase full of legal papers.

"That's the spirit, my lad. You don't have to worry about getting bored; the Muggle-related lessons will take up just a fraction of our total training time, and I'll make sure that they are as entertaining as possible. And there are other things as well… Physical exercise, for example. Should you find yourself without a wand, you must be able to defend yourself. Have you ever actually punched someone?"

Harry ignored the jab—he was sure Merlin knew that he had never delivered a punch. "What about Quidditch?" he suggested instead, and his face lit up.

"Of course", Merlin said. "Your father would kill me if I let you stay out of practice."

At that junction, Merlin turned around and started walking away. After a second, Harry followed him into a path among the dark trees.

"My father?" he asked. "You know my father?"

"More than you can imagine", Merlin said. "Your mother, too. It's thanks to them that we are here tonight."

Harry fell silent at this new revelation. His parents had a hand in this… A warm feeling started from his heart and slowly spread inside him; the realisation that they were still looking after him, all these years after they died to protect him, did not come as a shock, but was still unexpected. After all, he hadn't had any real dealings with the dead… The ghosts at Hogwarts hadn't taken the great step, and the mirror of Erised showed only echoes, just like the people who emerged from Voldemort's wand a year ago.

"It's just around the corner", Merlin said, breaking these thoughts. And indeed, a few steps later, the pair found themselves in a small, grassy clearing, completely enclosed by tall pine trees. In a moonlit corner, Harry could see a wooden cabin. It was remarkably similar to the gamekeeper's house in Hogwarts; Harry could easily imagine Hagrid opening the door and waving at them, with Fang at his feet, barking loudly and slobbering all over.

They had stopped outside the door, and Merlin turned to face him. "Will you do the honours, Harry?" he proposed, offering him a small iron key. Harry took the key, but he had barely touched the door when it creaked open. He glanced at Merlin, who looked back alarmed.

"This door was locked", the old wizard said in a low voice, tightening his grip on his staff. Harry drew his wand. "I'll go in first", Merlin added, and his staff started emitting a soft but bright glow. "You cover my back." Harry nodded, and whispered "_Lumos!_" The familiar light that appeared at the tip of his wand heartened him.

Merlin pushed the door fully open and looked at both sides of a dim corridor before turning right. Harry followed him closely into a living room, peering at the shadows and listening intently for any sound that would betray the presence of an intruder.

A/N: As usual, any recommendations you have with regards to the story are welcome, as are any reviews.

First of all the only reason i reposted the 1st chapter from the story i took down was because of what is happening on fanfiction and i wanted to do my part.

I copy/pasted the message from another author to post it. I just added my name at the bottom

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be losing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

Psudocode_Samurai

Rocketman1728

dracohalo117

VFSNAKE

Agato the Venom Host

Jay Frost

SamCrow

Blood Brandy

Dusk666

Hisea Ori

The Dark Graven

BlackRevenant

Lord Orion Salazar Black

Sakusha Saelbu

Horocrux

socras01

Kumo no Makoto

Biskoff

Korraganitar the NightShadow

NightInk

Lazruth

ragnrock kyuubi

SpiritWriterXXX

Ace6151

FleeingReality

Harufu

Exiled crow

Slifer1988

Dee Laynter

Angeldoctor

Final Black Getsuga

ZamielRaizunto

Fenris187

blood enraged

arashiXnoXkami

Masane Amaha's King

Blueexorist

Nero Angelo Sparda

Sharkteeth

DAPC

Kyuubi16

bunji the wolf

EternalKnight219

Shi Kami The Murderous Prodigy

DeathNoteMaker

Nostalgic Remedy

Paco the Taco Maker

Slayer of Destiny

MisaPummelman

Brunette Chic

alaison

Kit Of Love and Yaoi

Twipotterfreak28

Sugarquills007

Tilaliastorm

_Vampireex_

_Crazyjim87_

If you could do what some other authors have done and post this petition as a temporary new chapter on some of your stories to help spread the word? It would help a lot it's how I found out about this.

Another thing, there is a petition going around to stop this, here is the link, just remove the space, please sign.

petitions/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net

or just go to change(dot)org and type in 'Fanfiction'. It should be one of the first to pop up.

Thank you!

**Come on people we need to save the fanfiction we know!**


End file.
